Realizations
by DZHoneyBee
Summary: Reid is invited to spend Thanksgiving with Morgan and the two soon realize that their friendship has changed. But what has it changed to? M/R Pre-Slash. Prequel to "Discoveries".
1. Ticklish Beginnings

Realizations

"It all comes down to the Lacanian Psychoanalysis triangle! The real, the symbolic and the imaginary!" Spencer Reid shifted in his seat, bringing his lecture to a close. He grinned widely and drew his legs up so he was sitting cross-legged like a small, over-excited child.

Both Emily Prentiss and Derek Morgan stared back at him, unsure of how to respond to their hyperactively genius coworker.

"Wow…So this is what it feels like to lose an hour of your life," Emily raised an eyebrow and made a move to get up from her desk, straightening the Thanksgiving-themed decorations that Garcia had adorned all of their desks with.

The bullpen was quiet and they were the only three left there except for Hotch who most likely lived at the BAU until every last folder, photo, _staple_ was in place. Even Garcia had gone home, though not before insisting on giving them each a kiss with the promise of a happy Thanksgiving.

"Pretty Boy, no offence but I just don't understand," Morgan leaned over and ruffled Reid's newly short hair, enjoying the way the delicate strands felt soft and silky as they slid through his fingers.

"I thought it was obvious….Lacan's theory on the psyche….Freud's interpretation of dreams? Duh?" Reid raised his eyebrows, fiddling with the rim of his venti Starbucks coffee – black like usual, syrupy with melted sugar.

Morgan drew his brow together and then burst out laughing. "I'm sorry Pretty Boy, did you just 'duh' me?" He crouched in front of Reid and peered at him.

Reid giggled, blushing under Morgan's intense gaze. His feelings for his coworker had not gone unnoticed by him and he never knew quiet how to deal with Morgan's familiar touchy behavior. "No," he smiled, glancing down at the sleeves of his hunter green sweater pulled over his fingers.

The heat in the BAU bullpen had two gages: either intensely overheated or scarily under-heated. It drove the members of the team insane and over the years they had learned to always store an extra sweater in their desk drawer.

"I think you did, kid," Morgan wiggled his fingers, grinning. "You know what happens to people who say 'duh'?"

Reid instinctively wrapped his arms around himself as though he was anticipating Morgan's next move and held up his mismatched socked feet as defense. "Tickling is a recognize form of torture, you know," he said slowly, enunciating the word _torture_. Morgan had his eyes trained on him and Reid wriggled in his seat and hunched his legs together like a sharp fence.

But Morgan was faster and in seconds his hands had wrapped around Reid's thin frame and he was worming his fingers under his ribs. Reid let out a shrill giggle, doubling over while simultaneously trying to jab Morgan in the jaw with his sharp kneecaps.

"S-st-stop-pl-lee-easee, Morgan," he squealed, stabbing his long fingers into any empty space possible to defer his coworker. "Ah-I-I just ate a d-du-doh-" he was cut off as Morgan moved closer and the inviting smell of his cologne overpowered Reid's ability to think in cohesive sentences.

"I'm sorry, what? Did you just say 'duh'?" Morgan moved his hands from Reid's ribs to under his arms, loving how he was creating such a giddish reaction from his normally formal and prude friend. Their noses banged together and just as Morgan was going to let up, Reid grabbed a stuffed pumpkin from his desk, hurling it at his aggressor and hitting him in the cheek.

"Pleeeeease," Reid wheezed, writhing in his desk chair as Morgan perched on the edge on his knees. "T-t-torture!" He panted, loving and hating the way Morgan's warm fingers danced over his body.

He then grabbed a string of light-up plastic baby corns to use as a weapon but he had underestimated the weight of the corns and Reid found himself tipping out of his chair, bringing Morgan and the remaining Thanksgiving decorations down with him with a large thud.

"Hey Reid-woah, sorry I am interrupting something?" Emily returned to the bullpen with a large blueberry muffin in her hand, more than a little surprised at the sight before her.

Reid was partially under his desk, fake leaves littering his hair and creating a sort of pilgrim halo. A large string of flashing baby corns was wrapped around his wrist and draped over his chest. His cheeks were flushed a bright pink and his button down shirt and sweater were twisted in opposing directions around his middle. Morgan lay panting on top of him, leaves also covering most of his body.

Both agents looked up, their eyes bright and twinkling and suddenly Morgan jumped to his feet, brushing bits of a smashed gourd from his dress shirt and hoisting Reid up by his forearm.

"Just teaching Pretty Boy here that he can't be abusing his genius powers with his coworkers," he patted Reid on the shoulder and then cleared his throat awkwardly.

Emily looked pointedly at Reid who was dusting himself off and looking rather too on edge for just having been caught having a play fight with his best friend.

"Oh," she remarked, deciding to drop it. "I was just leaving but I wanted to ask you guys what you were both doing for Thanksgiving?"

Derek grinned, "back to Chicago. I can't wait to have a whole four days of doing nothing but eating, watching the big game and seeing my family."

"What about you, Reid?"

Reid cleared his throat and leaned awkwardly against his desk. "Umm, nothing really. Just probably staying here. My mom isn't big on Thanksgiving…." He trailed off, fiddling with a button on his sweater.

"Oh….I'm sorry Reid," Emily was unsure of what to say. She would have invited him to her family's dinner but she knew it would have just ruffled her mother's feathers to have an unexpected guest.

"Woah, woah," Morgan held up his hands. "Reid, you can't just stay here by yourself. No, man, no way. You're coming with me to Chicago."

Reid looked at his hand self-consciously, "no, I don't want to intrude, Morgan. It's your family time…."

"Reid you're practically family, man," Morgan protested. He faced Reid and put his hands on his shoulders, peering into his eyes. "Don't hide behind that hair either. You're coming. No exceptions."

Reid blushed, feeling the heat from Morgan's wide hands envelope his small shoulders and he forced his own hazel eyes to look into Morgan's chocolate brown ones. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now let's get you a plane ticket."

* * *

><p><strong>Should there be another chapter? Reid &amp; Review please! <strong>


	2. Serious Conversations

Morgan sighed as he closed his eyes, letting Jay-Z's "Ni**as in Paris" flood from his Bose headphones and fill his ears. His whole right arm hummed contently and his fingertips tingled and thoughts as to why he was having this particular reaction were overriding Morgan's ability to concentrate on his music and relax in his window seat.

But Morgan knew why he was feeling this way: said tingling arm was pressed up against Reid's as they passive-aggressively battled for the armrest between their two respective seats on the plane. Morgan slid his eyes to the right, observing how Reid's pensive expression and nervous snapping of his fingers suggested a fear of flying.

The kid always had some part of his body snapping, popping or clicking and a few years ago it had driven Morgan crazy. He would be sitting at his desk concentrating on paper work when all of a sudden Reid would stretch in his seat and a series of clicks as his bones adjusted themselves would follow. Scratch Robo-Cop; it was like working with Robo-Fed.

"Are you nervous?" Morgan whispered in Reid's ear almost causing the young man to spring from his seat.

"What? No." Reid shot back, slipping his feet from his loafers and flexing his toes in the aisle.

Morgan gave him a pointed look, enjoying the way Reid's face heated up under his eyes and he gave a small shudder.

"I didn't even think to bring a book and I'm bored," Reid mumbled. "It's just…I don't know-" he stopped abruptly, coming to the conclusion that he did not want to share his thoughts with Morgan.

Morgan shifted so he faced Reid and used his forefinger to slide it under Reid's chin and bring his face up to meet his. Years of working in law enforcement had taught Morgan to trust his gut and presently it was telling him that something was wrong. "What is it? You never _don't_ have a book with you, kid."

Reid twisted his lips into a pout and he screwed up his face like he was attempting to solve an impossible math equation. Morgan thought back to how different Reid had acted back in the office when they had been play fighting and now this? What had changed in the last 24 hours?

"Um…just recently, I guess," Reid let out a breath, "I've been having these sort of….anxiety-driven apprehensions…while sleeping."

Morgan frowned, resisting the urge to hold Reid in his arms. "Is that CalTech talk for nightmares?" He joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Both agents felt the jerk of the plane as it taxied towards the runway and Reid knew he couldn't back out now.

"Yeah…" he whispered, wanting to immediately shrink away from Morgan. How could Morgan understand? He would just think he was a baby for not manning up like a federal agent should.

"Hey…Spencer, it's okay to tell someone. It happens. God knows I've had that happen to me too. We're human. We see shit all the time with this job. It would be _bad_ if we didn't have nightmares about these things." Morgan replied earnestly. He moved his finger out from under Reid's chin and lightly brushed it against his cheek. Reid closed his eyes and Morgan could swear he felt a shudder wash through Reid's lithe form.

"Thanks….Mo-Derek." Reid turned the corners of his lips into a small smile and let out a small breath as if to signify that the conversation was over.

Morgan wasn't about to let it go but knew that seats 12 A and B on a Delta plane to Chicago was not the place to discuss this.

"So what are you listening to?" Reid asked, a curiously shy expression passing over his face.

Morgan offered an earphone to Reid and watched as Reid listened to Jay-Z and Kanye West's voices with an inquisitive look. He had expected Reid to roll his eyes and argue about how Beethoven was the only legitimate excuse for music and how a song such as this simply enhanced pop culture's passive views on the mathematical underlining of music. Instead he was surprised when Reid started tapping his finger to the bass.

"Not bad…" he gave Morgan back his earphone and was silent for a second.

Morgan was about to turn back to the window when Reid broke the silence.

"Did you know that scientific research points to Pachelbel- Canon in D- as the root to most contemporary music?"

Morgan fought the urge to roll his eyes and instead chose to enjoy the way Reid had somehow negotiated his way into pressing himself up to Morgan's body for warmth.

"No I didn't, but thank you for informing me. Now get some sleep, Spencer. The plane ride might be the only time you have to rest when you're around my family."

"'Kay." Reid whispered, tucking his hands up under his arms and closed his eyes.

Morgan closed his eyes too and as those same thoughts wandered back to his mind, only one stood out to him.

Was he falling for his Pretty Boy?


	3. Feathered Feelings

Reid was hot on Morgan's heels as he followed the older agent's long strides up the driveway to his childhood home. The warm yellow glow that seeped through the drawn curtains and spilled out onto the street set a fire in Morgan. He was _home_. Nothing could replace the feeling of absolute longing in him as much as being home did. Familiar smells, sights…he liked to think that nothing had changed since he was there last time in August and a part of him felt that he was right. His sisters would squeal like piglets and fling their thin limbs around his neck in seeing him and his mom would coo over her baby boy like a mother hen. He couldn't get his key out fast enough.

"Welcome home, Pretty Boy," Morgan grinned, looking back at the genius. Reid was hopping from his left foot to his right foot and had tucked his hands up under the arms of his navy blue pea coat in an attempt to stay warm. His breath appeared in small white puffs and flakes of snow had nested themselves in his amber hair lending him the appearance of a slight snow angel.

"Can we get inside?" Reid hoarsely whispered, hunching his shoulders up to his pink-tinged ears.

As he hopped to his right foot, his left came slamming down on a thick bed of ice and he immediately swung his arms out to balance himself, a look of panic flashing in his eyes. His feet slid out from under him and as he began to descend into the snow Morgan reacted and stabled him, slipping a heavy arm around Reid's waist.

"Woah there, Snow White," Morgan chuckled, bracing a hand on Reid's shoulder. Together they looked like they had been slow dancing and Morgan had just dipped Reid. "You're like an overzealous windmill," he joked in a soft tone, referring to Reid's propelling arms only a second ago.

There was a moment of silence - thick tension between them as they gazed at each other with wide-eyed expressions. A pocket of electricity was flickering between their faces, so close together. Reid took a deep breath, feeling the heat radiate through his body from Morgan's arms. He dropped his gaze to Morgan's lips –full, just barely parted in their perfection. He knew he if moved his head a few millimeters closer, their lips would be touching – no, _pressing_ together. He felt Morgan's slide to the small of his back, pulling him determinedly tighter.

"You okay?" Morgan whispered, sending small shivers through Reid's body. He longed to close the space between them, to grasp at Morgan's wide shoulders, to feel the absolute power that was held in such a strengthened form…..perhaps to even have the pleasure of feeling that strength on top of him….

"Yeah," Reid breathed out, snaking his tongue out to coat his lips.

Morgan could sense Reid's hesitation in his voice as he held onto his best friend. From his view point, Reid's body was stretched out in a diagonal line and his slim figure reminded Morgan of a graceful ballerina – long arms and delicate fingers remained clutched to Morgan's forearms, their tips a rosy pink that Morgan was desperate to kiss away….to take them in his mouth….He closed his eyes and with a quick swallow, hoisted Reid all the way up, letting him go.

Reid cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks, D-Derek." He murmured, straightening the buttons on his coat and tucking his hair behind his ears.

Morgan coughed too, patting Reid roughly on the back. "Can't have my Pretty Boy making snow angels without me," he smiled, trying to stifle the feelings that rose up in his body like bubbles in a shaken Coke can.

The door was yanked out all of a sudden, startling Reid and Morgan and bathing them in a rosy glow from the lit house.

"I thought I heard voices!" Mrs. Morgan exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement. She held her arms out in a warm invitation. "Where are my favorite son and my favorite doctor?"

"Mom!" Morgan rushed to fill his mother's arms, inhaling her familiar smell and kissing her cheek.

"Oh, baby, I missed you!" Mrs. Morgan breathed softly, tears clouding her eyes as Morgan drew back. "Spencer, get your skinny rear over here!"

Reid obliged immediately, happy to be included. He never felt tense around the Morgan family, no matter how largely excluded he had been around families when he was a child. "Oh, child when was the last time you ate?" She pronounced, pitching Spencer's slim waist. "Derek, you need to make sure Spencer eats!"

"I try, Mama!" Derek held up his hands in mock defense.

"I eat," Spencer chided, sourly looking down at his thin frame. He knew he needed to bulk up but at the same time he knew his skeleton could never and was never built to hold more than 150 pounds.

"Yeah? What'd you do, Pretty Boy, inhale a large gust of wind earlier for lunch?" Morgan clasped a hand to Reid, grinning as he said it. He had always admired Reid's figure solely because it was so unfamiliar from his own. Where he was thick and sculpted, Reid was slim and chiseled. "Maybe some runoff from the ice cubs that came with your water on the plane?"

"Ha, ha," Reid said softly, twisting his hands around to keep them warm under his jacket.

"Come in, come in!" Mrs. Morgan ushered them both in and sweeping the snow off the mat in the hallway.

"Oh man, is it _good_ to be home." Derek sighed, flinging himself onto the couch and kicking off his snow-caked shoes.

Reid folded himself neatly into an armchair, savoring the warmth from the fire that spit and crackled from the politely arching fireplace in the center of the room. He closed his eyes, sinking into the chair completely and surrendering his mind to thinking about how close Morgan's lips had been to his. He could practically _taste_ Morgan's cologne…. feel the muscles ripple under his hold…. press himself up to the huge mass of muscle that was his coworker. His _straight_ coworker, Reid reminded himself.

He let out a visible sigh and as other thoughts clouded his mind, he glanced down at his watch. 10:47 pm. Reid had been apprehensive towards sleep for a while now…the nightmares always started as his eyelids closed. He could feel the searing heat from the fireplace and uncharacteristically wished it would swallow him up. Maybe then he could possess the ability to think coherently.

_Stupid_, Reid thought to himself. It was like having an ongoing battle with himself. His feelings for Morgan that filtered dynamically into free slots between flitting nightmares that seized at his dreams. He couldn't keep it straight. One minute he was happy and the next he was completely depressed.

"…hope you don't mind sharing," Mrs. Morgan was finishing.

Reid blinked his thought into oblivion. "Pardon?"

"Oh, I was telling Derek that his sisters are coming tomorrow morning so I hope you don't mind sharing his old room."

Reid swallowed. "Oh, no….that's, um…that's fine."

"We'll be good roommates. Nothing to worry about, Mama," Morgan grinned.

* * *

><p>Morgan turned, awakening himself from a deep slumber. His eyes were fogged with dreamy thoughts and as he unclenched his muscles to roll back over and return to sleep he heard a small noise. It was barely a whisper, swept up in the whirring sound of the radiator.<p>

"Morgan…"

Morgan rolled over, blinking until his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room.

"Pretty Boy?" He whispered, his voice hoarse.

Another whimper before Morgan felt the bed shift underneath him. He sat up.

"Reid?" He hissed, feeling his stomach drop and his breathing hitch in his throat.

Reid was only noticeable by the small shaky sounds as he was buried deep under the covers in his own cave-like oasis. Morgan drew back the covers slowly. Was he crying?

Reid's face was contorted and his hands were fisted in the sheets with tight, sweaty knuckles that were almost white with tension. He drew in a shaky breath and Morgan watched worriedly as Reid's bare shoulder blades closed together as though he was collapsing in on himself.

"Morgan!" He whimpered,…"G-get them off me, Morgan!"

Morgan scooted closer to Reid, running a soothing hand over his back. Reid was icy cold. Morgan's heart started pounding and he tried to shake Reid awake but Reid only pushed against him, squirming to get out. Were these the nightmares that he had talked about earlier on the plane?

"Hey, hey, there…shhhhhh, Pretty Boy," Morgan tried to lift up Reid and he noticed tears seeping out from under the genius' eyes. He cradled him protectively, dragging the blankets up around them. Reid pulled a hand to Morgan's chest, searching for something to grab onto. Morgan looked down as he tried to sooth his best friend…his love. Gently, he slipped his hand into Reid's and Reid gripped it as though his life depended on it.

Neither of them moved and Morgan's hands remained frozen on Reid's frame, his rough thumbs slowly rubbing his bare skin. He lowered his head to Reid's forehead while reaching up with his free hand to stroke his cheek. His fingers came away wet from the tears but Reid had stopped jerking and seemed to be sleeping soundly now.

Morgan couldn't tell how long they had been that way but he closed his eyes, rocking his Pretty Boy, alone with his thoughts.

He knew as he pressed a searing kiss to Reid's pouted lips that this was no longer a pure and simple friendship – it had been complicated by rash actions, secrets and now there seemed to be a physical bond that had emerged.

As the early morning light crept through the slightly open blinds Reid mustered the strength to open his tired eyes. And just as he was beginning to stretch his folded figure, he felt a warm pair of lips press tentatively to his.

It was the softest kiss, it was the sweetest sensation….

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry that I took so long to update. Should I continue? Reviews would be much appreciated! <strong>


	4. An Awkward Aftermath

A ghostly, winter light had settled over Morgan's adolescent bedroom, illuminating the chest of drawers that held countless athletic trophies, ribbons, autographed sports paraphernalia and picture frames that his mother had placed there. It was a sweet sentimental gesture, completely juxtaposed by the fact that Morgan's own sweet, sentimental side had currently just been sucked back in for burial as Reid stretched in his arms, having been woken up by the kiss placed gently on his lips.

Morgan felt his muscles tense and a panic rose up in him like bubbles filtering up through a straw as he watched Reid extend his long arms and legs, his eyes still closed and his mind misty from sleep.

"Morgan?" Reid mumbled, putting his fingers to his lips. They seemed to tingle from an unknown source and as he blinked himself awake he was greeted with Morgan's wide eyes, filled with an unusual frightened tension.

Reid yawned, making a motion to sit up and as he realized he was lying in Morgan's lap, his legs splayed out in front of him, only two words flashed in his mind.

_Oh. Shit. _

Reid scrambled up, frustrated in the fact that his limbs didn't seem to obey him. It was as though his arms and legs had been drugged to move at a glacial pace whereas countless thoughts were running through his brain. Had he just been _kissing_ Morgan? Had he somehow maneuvered his way into Morgan's lap during the course of the night?

"Uh….Oh-G-God," Reid stuttered, dragging himself by the bed sheets off of Morgan's lap and covering himself with them, despite the fact that he was wearing pajama pants. He felt far too naked for the situation at hand. He cleared his throat. "S-Sorry about that….Morgan."

Morgan remained silent, looking at Reid with an odd expression clouding his face. It wasn't exactly anger or fear like Reid had predicted…it was peculiarly calm and Reid could swear he saw a flash of disappointment pass through his eyes. Finally he spoke, getting out of bed.

"You were having a nightmare, kid," Morgan announced gruffly. Reid observed him as he stood in front of him. Morgan was playing with his hands in a mysteriously awkward manner. And in all the years that they had been colleagues, Morgan was _never_ awkward. Reid was always the part of the pair knocking things over, tripping over his own feet and crashing into other coworkers. It was a very unsettling feeling that dropped in Reid's stomach. "It's fine."

What the _fuck_ had just transpired between them?

Reid remained in bed, converted into a small ball with his knees up to his chest. "Oh…" he whispered. Well that explained some things. But had he really felt the need to crawl into his über-straight, über-_sexy_ best friend's lap?

"Yeah.." Morgan replied. He looked down at his hands….the same hands that been wrapped around Reid's pleasantly warm body only moments ago, caressing his negative thoughts away. He felt like he should punch something or spit, just to reassert his manhood. What was wrong with him? He knew his feelings for Reid had just reached an all time high and that he should be regretting what he just did but he _couldn't_.

The feel of Reid's smooth, pouted lips against his own rough ones had been similar to the feeling of silk against naked skin. Reid's lips had just been barely parted and the breathy heat between the two of them had made Morgan want to explode out of his own skin. His lips itched to close the gap between them again….to take Reid against his childhood bed and never stop kissing him. It was sick, really, Morgan thought to himself. _He_ was sick.

"Um…I'm going to take a shower. You should get dressed, Reid."

_Not Pretty Boy_, Reid noted silently, his shoulders sinking with defeat.

He carefully climbed out of bed as Morgan went to shower and as he stood, looking contemplatively out of the window at the untouched bed of snow that had fallen last night, he could help but touch his lips again. _Had Morgan kissed him? Or had he kissed Morgan? _He twisted his fingers together so they were crossed over in a tight wish. Reid was never superstitious, it simply didn't mix with his logical mind, but in this moment he hoped with all of his heart that either they could just forget about all of this and go back to being friends – being only friends with Morgan was certainly better than not having him in his life at all – or that he could somehow experience that kiss again. Just for a second…

Morgan defiantly twisted the knob all the way to the right, filling the shower with scalding hot water and breathy steam. As he stepped in, he cursed himself for acting so irrational. Irrationality in his line of work was what got you in trouble. Or worse, _killed_.

"Jesus, Derek." He mumbled to himself, scrubbing a calloused hand over his face in frustration. He could tell he had totally freaked Reid out though a small illumination of light allowed him to be happy with the fact that it seemed as though Reid didn't know Morgan was the one kissing him.

Those _lips_, though. They were so full and expressive, perfectly delicate _rouge_ in the shadows of the bedroom. Morgan could do dirty things to those lips; that he was sure of. Whether he would get that chance again, he was unbalanced about. He longed to gage illicit moans from those lips….from Reid.

Morgan closed his eyes, remembering how warm and silky Reid's skin had been after he had been holding him; his long eyelashes brushing faintly pink cheekbones; rumpled bed-head hair that fell across his forehead and a small button nose. The whole package certainly screamed _do me_.

He envisioned running his tongue over those neat white teeth, like Chiclets all lined up in a precise row; smoothing his hands over angular hips, hearing breathy gasps as he slid up muscled thighs and down a faintly concave chest.

Morgan felt his breath grow stronger and more frequent as he continued to consider the X-rated fantasy in his mind.

"Derek? Spencer? Are you two boys up yet?" A faded voice called out, slicing out any further thoughts on Morgan's part.

Morgan's eyes snapped open as he realized his mom was calling for both of them for breakfast. He shook his head, overcoming the urge to punch himself. _God_, he had issues to sort out. The fact that Reid was just outside the door didn't further than aid in that either.

He crossed his fingers in a gesture reminiscent of his childhood and wished as hard as he could squeeze his eyes shut that everything would work out….whether that entailed Reid dropping it and them remaining friends or….something else. Something a little more seductive.

* * *

><p>The day passed leisurely, much to the chagrin of both Morgan and Reid. Morgan's sisters, Sarah and Desiree had arrived in a flurry of hugs, kisses and girlish squeals towards their brother and mother. They had met Reid before, though briefly, while the team had been on a case in downtown Chicago.<p>

Sarah had seemed to take an immediate shine to Reid, complimenting him on his new haircut_, wow, it really shows off your cheekbones!,_ and physique, _Dr. Reid have you been working out? You have huge muscles!_ Reid had blushed under such examination but thanked Sarah politely.

Morgan had frowned, frustrated that he hadn't even thought to compliment Reid on anything either. It wasn't like he didn't notice the fact that Reid had suddenly developed a lot more muscle or at least his wardrobe gave him the appearance of a broad chest and long, leanly muscled arms, but Morgan had always been too focused on not revealing anything to Reid that it never occurred to him that it wouldn't be taken _that way._

At this moment in time, Morgan, Reid, Sarah and Desiree were relaxing in the spacious living room in front of a sparkling fire as the darkened sky continued to grow into nighttime. Sarah was on her laptop, finishing notes for one of her students she tutored in science while Desiree sat contentedly reading a book.

Both girls had chosen to occupy the only two separate armchairs in the room and short of sitting on the floor, both Morgan and Reid had been forced to share the couch though they were careful to sit far from each other. Reid was playing Word Warp on his iPhone and his long, delicate fingers flew over the buttons, listing words with dizzying speed, while Morgan was pretending to watch the football game that glowed from the TV over the fireplace.

Morgan noted that Reid was practically leaning on the arm of the couch as though it physically pained him to sit any closer and that _hurt_. Was he really that uncomfortable? Morgan let his eyes travel lazily over Reid's long legs, crossed over one another. One of his socks had turkeys on it while the other had puffy white clouds on it.

"Mmmm mmm," Sarah cleared her throat noisily, eyeing Morgan in a way that was definitely not subtle. Morgan frowned at her and she raised an eyebrow at him and then swiveled her eyes over to Reid.

Desiree looked up, obviously catching onto the silent conversation that often occurred between the three siblings. The three of them spoke the silent language fluently. She grinned mischievously at Morgan and then quickly raised her eyebrows and dropped them twice in an _ooh-la-la_ sort of manner. Sarah giggled before coughing into her notebook. Morgan rolled his eyes at both of his childish sisters before widening his eyes at them as though he was trying to say _I have no idea what you're talking about. _

_Yes you do, _Sarah stared at him, before narrowing her eyes.

_You like Reid,_ Desiree mouthed at both Sarah and Morgan before adding a silent _Duh_.

_Soooooooo obvious_, Sarah agreed silently.

Morgan didn't know how to respond, though he stole a quick glance at Reid to ensure that the genius was still absorbed in his game. He was, completely oblivious to what was transpiring around him. _Like usual,_ Morgan smiled warmly before reminding himself that he was supposed to be acting completely neutral.

Had it really been that obvious that he liked Reid? He hadn't been staring at Reid _that much_ had he?

_You're ridiculous;_ Morgan mouthed at his two sisters, feeling a furious blush creep over his cheeks.

Sarah and Desiree looked at each other before sharing a distinctly unnerving look between the two of them that Morgan definitely didn't like. They turned to smirk at their brother before going back to their respective work.

Reid cleared his throat, bringing his legs up onto the couch underneath him and running a hand over his arm, shivering.

"Cold, Spencer?" Sarah asked innocently, smiling at Morgan as she said it.

Reid looked up abruptly. "Uh, a little. I'll be fine though."

"Oh, no. We definitely can't have our guest catch a cold in our house." Desiree chimed in, leaning forward in her chair. "Derek, give Spencer your sweater." She ordered, snapping her fingers in the way only a sibling could do.

Reid reddened. "Uh, that's fine actually. I have a sweater upstairs." He couldn't even bare to look at Morgan as he said it. He quickly got up, leaving his phone in his place as he climbed the stairs.

As soon as Reid was out of earshot, all three Morgan children shot closer together.

"Okay, what is going on between Spence and you?" Desiree hissed immediately, her eyes shining with delight.

"Yeah, what's going on? Are you guys, like, _dating_?" Sarah added, quickly glancing out of their huddle to make sure their mother couldn't hear them from the kitchen or that Reid was still upstairs.

"Don't be absurd." Morgan scoffed, feeling a little absurd himself as he said it. What had he gotten himself into?

"It's so obvious you're into him, Derek. And it's even _more_ obvious that Spencer's into you."

"What?" Morgan hissed incredulously, though he secretly hoped it was true.

"Spencer has been stealing looks at you all day! Every time you would look at the TV he would look at you!"

Sarah nodded in agreement with her sister.

"We don't care if you guys like each other," she shrugged. "It's perfectly natural to be attracted to someone you spend so much time with. It's almost inevitable."

"_I don't like Spencer Reid-"_ Morgan sighed, intending to finish his sentence but he was cut off as Reid's footsteps were heard on the stairs.

Morgan sat back quickly, his heart in his throat. Was it true? Was it okay to like Reid?

"Kids! Thanksgiving dinner is now ready!" Mrs. Morgan's voice rang out from the dining room.

* * *

><p>"I don't like Spencer Reid," was all that Reid heard as he tugged at the sleeves of the navy cashmere sweater Emily had given him for his 30th birthday, trudging down the stairs.<p>

His heart felt heavy in his chest, a dull ache spreading quickly through to his arms and head like spilled nail polish. So he had been right….Morgan didn't like Reid at all. Reid stopped at the foot of the stairs, leaning his dizzy head against the wall of the hallway, collecting his thoughts. Was this what it felt like? Heartbreak? Reid had only experienced something similar to that feeling twice in his life – once when he was eighteen and waving goodbye to his mother after taking her away and another after breaking up with Austin after a few months of secretly dating though none of those moments came even close to what Reid was experiencing now.

He closed his eyes and then all of a sudden they snapped back open, flashing dark amber in the dim lighting. He wasn't going to let himself be upset.

He was _angry_.

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you guys think! Review, review, review!<strong>


	5. Revealed Emotions

The clinking of wine glasses and scratching of forks and knives signaled the commencing of the 2011 Morgan Thanksgiving dinner. An elaborate spread of turkey, potatoes, green beans, bread and other delicacies covered the table and the muted lightening cast a cozy feeling throughout the room. Unfortunately, that did not stop a thick tension from settling on the group as they dug into their food.

Reid was rarely angry. It took a lot for him to become aggravated and even then, his feelings were weakened by the fact that his face usually refused to contort itself into anything resembling anger. But right now he sat stewing in his chair, trying his best not to let his emotions get the better of him. After all, he was a guest and good manners always prevailed over any personal vendettas going on. Brains always beat out brawn in social situations.

"Spencer, I'm so glad you were able to join us this year," Mrs. Morgan smiled at the genius over her glass of red wine.

Reid looked up from where he was currently rearranging his beans into a replica of the DNA structure and forced a smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Morgan. I'm very gracious to be here."

"I'm glad you're here too," Morgan piped up from across Reid, smiling at him warmly. He was immediately put off, however, as Reid returned his grin with a blank stare, eyes a dark, swirling gold. Reid's mouth was set in a firm line and his expression was only one that Morgan had seen a few times on cases and when the team had confronted Reid about his drug addiction.

"So, Spence, is Derek really as bad as we've heard to work with?" Desiree joked, leaning an elbow on the table.

"Yes," Reid remarked calmly at the same time that Derek blurted out "No!"

All three women looked between Reid and Morgan. The two FBI agents were staring at each other like they were caught in an invisible force field. Sarah nudged Desiree as the two sisters watched their brother's expression shift from surprised to defensive. _Typical_.

"I feel like I've aged ten years since working with him," Reid grumbled, stabbing enthusiastically at a slice of turkey and neatly putting it away in his mouth.

Morgan saw a flash of pink tongue and white teeth and tried hard to suppress the growing heat in his stomach.

"You probably needed to," he murmured sarcastically, grateful that his napkin hid the growing bulge in his jeans.

Reid blushed furiously. "What's that supposed to mean?" He bit out, surprising the rest of the women at the table.

Morgan glanced up, caught off guard by Reid's aggression. He couldn't help but be a little turned on by it and his eyes lowered to how Reid's lips had formed a perfect pout. "I didn't mean anything by it. But at least the BAU can save some money now that they don't have to bring a _babysitter_ for you on cases." He replied calmly, loving how Reid's eyes darkened considerably, a flash of passionate lust catching in them.

"I don't need a babysitter." Reid said softly. He was silent as he considered his next move. "But better a babysitter than a family planning clinic. I'm sure there's a catalog somewhere in America that lists you as the number one consumer of Plan B birth control. " He arched an eyebrow at Morgan.

"Derek!" All three Morgan women exclaimed.

Morgan ignored them, leaning further across the table to get at Reid. Both men had their eyes narrowed at each other. What the hell was going on between the two of them? It was as though a silent war had been declared between them– a verbal battle for dominance. A mental chess.

"You could _use_ a trip to the clinic, Pretty Boy. You've been looking a little uptight recently." Morgan shot back. "Maybe you could try and seduce the secretary with your magic tricks. I could give her a call for you?"

"I'd be surprised if you even remember her name, let alone her number." Reid ground out, leaning forward too. Their noses were practically touching over the golden potatoes on the table. Heavy breathing caused a flicker of passion to pass between them.

Morgan bit back a laugh. He had to hand it to Reid's quick wit. It was an unexpected surprise, one that bolstered his urge to grab Reid by the neck and smash their lips together.

"I hate you," he whispered to Reid, desperate to see the response it gauged.

Reid's face noticeably paled but then he wrinkled his inappropriately adorable button nose as his face filled back in with color.

"I despise you too."

"Yeah? Well I hate you more." Morgan replied, not caring how immature a response like that sounded coming from a grown thirty-something, educated FBI agent.

"That's largely impossible. You can't venture beyond the boundaries of hatred." Reid sniffed, adopting his _holier-and-smarter-than-thou_ tone he usually reserved for lectures for the team.

"Watch me try." Morgan's hands itched as he grasped around the table's edge. Reid's hands were clasped in a similar fashion around his knife and fork. Morgan was instantly glad that the genius wasn't the trigger-happy type.

"Gladly."

"I really hate you."

"I loathe you with every fiber in my being."

"What _being_?" I wouldn't be surprised if they opened you up and found a bunch of short-circuiting wires and a few fingernails."

"Better wires than a partially digested mammoth. I find it incredibly disturbing to watch you _inhale_ your food."

"At least I eat!"

"I eat!"

"No, you filter feed, Pretty Boy."

"Sponges filter feed, Homo sapiens do not have the bodily functions to carry out the same injunction."

"Thanks for the science lesson, Robocop." Morgan ground out sarcastically.

"I'm not Robocop-" Reid insisted.

_"Derek! Spencer!"_

Both agents glanced up from where their gazes were presently set on each other's lips. It was as though they had forgotten where they were. Mrs. Morgan, Sarah and Desiree were sitting open-mouthed at the table though Sarah and Desiree were more smirking at each other with their arms crossed while Mrs. Morgan had a look of downright annoyance on her face.

"Baby, _apologize_ to Spencer," she said sternly.

"But he started it!" Morgan felt like was eight years old again.

"_Derek_! Spencer is our guest and I would not like this meal to be the last impression of our family that he departs with." Mrs. Morgan shot her son a look, one not to be tempered with.

Reid sat stoically in his chair, composing himself. He almost looked regal in his crisp blue and white striped button down, his navy sweater accentuating his broad, albeit slim, shoulders.

"Sorry, Reid." Morgan crossed his arms. He momentarily glanced down at the crotch of his jeans, not at all surprised by what he saw. Reid's anger was turning him on more and more.

"It's fine, Derek." Reid whispered, rather tenderly. "I know you didn't mean it." He raised his head, sucking in his cheeks and making his cheekbones look more pronounced than Morgan thought possible.

The table was silent for a few moments and as everyone returned to their own plates of food, Reid stuck his tongue out at Morgan and then quickly averted his eyes down to his food to continue his DNA bean structure. Surprise flashed in Morgan momentarily.

"Robot." Morgan whispered quietly.

"Barbarian."

"Over-thinker."

"Over-_eater_."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"If the belt fits…."

"_Boys!"_

* * *

><p>To say that going to sleep that night was awkward was an empirical hyperbole. Both Morgan and Reid had undressed, showered and redressed themselves in complete silence, both unsure of what to say to each other. The remainder of dinner had mostly been silent and Morgan knew his mother was angry with him. Desert had come with far more ease, both men lightening up though continuing to assure themselves that the other did not exist. The only comment made directly at Reid was when Morgan had teased him about eating around the crust of the pumpkin pie to which Reid had replied that he didn't like anything hard going into his mouth. <em>That<em> had shut Morgan up immediately.

Reid watched as Morgan turned over onto his side of the bed and his eyes swept over his colleague's muscled back. An intricate tattoo was stretched between his two shoulder blades while "Freedom" was spelled out on his lower back. As Reid's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, he surreptitiously scooted closer to get a better look at what he thought he was seeing. Morgan's rhythmic breathing signaled he was deep asleep and Reid reached for his glasses. Just above the start of Morgan's black pajama pants was a small tattoo, partially covered but clear nevertheless. SR-3-24-7.

Reid knew that date and he recognized those letters almost instantaneously. SR was definitely Spencer Reid and March 24th 2007 was the day that Reid had announced to Morgan that he had kicked his Dilaudid addiction for good. _He had gotten it tattooed on him?_

Without thinking, Reid reached out to touch it, only the tips of his fingers ghosting over the dark, inked skin. His anger towards Morgan immediately vanished and before he would let himself get carried away, he turned back over, smiling to himself despite the voice in the back of his mind singing "_I don't like Spencer Reid."_

* * *

><p>Morgan's dark, chocolate brown eyes popped open at the feeling of fingers trailing along his hip. <em>Reid<em>? He was hesitant to move as the fingers reluctantly removed themselves. His skin instantly felt warmer and he longed to press his body back against the fingers, possibly into the hand attached to those delicate fingers and then into the body that was attached to that particular hand.

After what seemed like hours, ever so slowly, Morgan rolled over onto his back to look at the ceiling. Once he was certain there was no movement on Reid's part of the bed, he stretched his eyes to look at his friend. Reid was facing him though his eyes were tightly closed. Reid was a notorious blanket hog (Morgan had learned that from countless nights sleeping in the freezing cold when they shared a room on cases) and his hands were fisted proprietarily in the blankets with a _touch-these-blankets-and-I'll-kill-you…death-by-lecture _air surrounding him.

Morgan stroked a hand gently over Reid's forehead, pushing up the dampened strands of hair. Reid's face screwed up and he rolled himself more into a ball as though he were trying to make himself smaller. He let out a breath and Morgan realized that Reid's forehead was sweaty.

He cautiously removed the blankets from around Reid's neck and pressed a hand to just under his jaw. Also damp with sweat.

Was Reid having another nightmare?

Despite the situation, Morgan couldn't help but feel that familiar warmth return to his groin as he pressed a hand to Reid's bony collarbone. The kid was sweating bullets.

Reid let out a small whimper and Morgan instantly drew his hand back as though he had been burned.

"Shhhhh, Pretty Boy. It's okay…." Morgan whispered, slipping closer over the bed. "I've got you." He murmured, grasping a hand to Reid's tightly closed fist.

It was though the past few hours and fighting at dinner had melted away. The bickering didn't matter…the way Reid had acted towards him drifted away.

A trickling feeling tickled Morgan and he glanced down from Reid's lips to see that Reid had opened up his clammy fist and was now holding his hand.

Another small sob came from Reid's mouth and Morgan dusted a finger over Reid's mouth, trying to sooth him.

"Shhhhhhh, baby boy." Morgan whispered again, moving so both of their bodies were folded together.

And unexpectedly, Reid's eyes were swiftly open, gazing at Morgan. Morgan stared back, drinking in those beautiful, _so beautiful_, golden eyes. His mind frozen was from any thoughts. That face, those eyes...well, those eyes held his future. He was sure of that.

And then suddenly nothing mattered.

And both men leaned in….

* * *

><p><strong>I feel so evil to leave you in a cliffhanger! Thank you so much for all the comments so far! Another chapter will be up soon, promise! Review, review! Let me know what you guys think of Reid and Morgan's fight at dinner, I tried to make it as funny and realistic as possible :)<strong>


	6. Devious Planning

"What do you think they're doing right now?" Emily asked J.J., tucking the receiver of the phone under her chin so she could paint her left hand steadily. The rest of her apartment was dark from just arriving home from her mother's Thanksgiving _event_ and she had immediately gone to call her best friend.

"Probably killing each other. I bet Spence is building some proton measurement device from turkey and pumpkin pie and Morgan is banging his head against the table." J.J. mused from her side of the phone conversation.

"Maybe he already hung himself from the shower rod."

"Or Spence lectured him into a pre-mature death."

Both women exploded into giggles.

They had been playing the "_Guess what Reid and Morgan are doing now?_" game for the last twenty minutes of their phone call that had originally started out as just a light acknowledgement of the day.

"No, no! I bet Morgan took Reid out to a club downtown!" Emily amended, hearing her best friend laugh in response. She could hear J.J. moving around in her kitchen, probably clearing up after dinner, and murmuring something to Will in the background.

"Are there clubs even open on Thanksgiving day? Poor Spence. I bet he didn't know what he was getting himself into when he agreed to spend the holiday with Morgan."

_No, he certainly didn't. _

"I know, I can't wait to hear the horror stories on Monday when we're all back. Who knows? Maybe the trip was actually good for them."

"What do you mean?" J.J. asked curiously, leaning against the tiled island counter in her kitchen and adjusting her cell phone.

"Nothing really, but those two are always bitching at each other like little girls." Emily screwed the top of her brush back into her polish and admired her O.P.I Lincoln Park After Dark nails – it was a good color for fall, she decided. "I swear I've never seen anyone who can rile up Morgan so fast like Reid can."

"Or someone who can make Reid blush like Morgan can. You would think Reid was in love with Morgan or something," J.J. commented absent-mindedly, pushing the cuticles of her nails back with a fork that had been lying on a dirty plate. She gathered her long blonde hair together and pushed it back over her shoulder. "Emily?" She asked when she realized her coworker hadn't replied yet.

"_Do_ you think Reid loves Morgan?" Emily finally answered.

Her mind instantly went back to how she had walked in on the two agents wrestling with each other over the plastic baby corn lights before they had been cleared to leave for Thanksgiving. And then how quick Morgan had been to invite Reid to his family's home for the holiday. How he had been so touchy-feely with Reid, tickling him…. Hell, when _wasn't_ Morgan touching Reid? He was always flicking his hair or throwing an arm around the genius' shoulders or patting him on the back. Any excuse to be close to the genius, really.

"I actually don't know," J.J. wrinkled her nose, wishing she were with Emily and Penelope in person instead over the phone. The agents had tried to dial their other gal pal into the conversation but Penelope's phone had gone straight to voicemail. Oh, well…they would fill her in when they saw her.

"It's plausible." Emily considered, a hint of hope in her voice.

"But Morgan's straight….I mean, I know Reid's sexuality has always been a bit of a question mark but Morgan with Reid? That's ridiculous….right?" J.J. shook her head. She had gone out with Reid on a date. They had _kissed_! Gay men didn't kiss like Reid had kissed her. And Morgan – he was practically in his own _orbit_ of heterosexuality. "Emily! _Right_?"

"Oh, sorry, I was thinking!" Emily answered, chewing her bottom lip. "You're right. There's no way Morgan and Reid would ever get together."

"You don't sound convinced," J.J. smiled. She knew her best friend too well.

"I don't know. Something…._something_ is telling me you're wrong – no offense – but I just kind of see it."

"See what?"

"You _know_! Reid is always smiling and laughing around Morgan and he always is defending him. I mean I know they fight all the time but still. And Morgan is _always_ so protective over Reid. You would think Reid was a kitten, not a fully trained FBI agent."

"Reid _is_ a kitten," J.J. laughed.

"Still..."

Both women were silent as they considered the possibility, past memories mulling in their minds.

"Spencer wouldn't even be Morgan's type. He's too…" J.J. continued.

"Weird?" Emily offered.

"He's not _weird_, Em. He's…..eccentric." J.J. flapped her hand at her friend, despite the fact that they were both separated by a phone.

"Definitely eccentric. But kind of hot at the same time," Emily blushed. She had never been interested in Reid but even she could appreciate his off-kilter masculine beauty.

"Definitely hot." J.J. agreed, giggling. "Since he started working out-"

"And dressing better!" Emily interjected. "And he cut his hair."

"Gotta love the hair. And yes on the appearance thing. He did look kind of…. yummy in that blue Oxford shirt the other day."

"_Yummy_? You did not just describe Reid as yummy, Jen!" Emily burst out laughing, careful not to smudge her wet nails.

"He was though! All of a sudden he's all muscular and dressing better…."

"Maybe Morgan influenced him to do all those things?"

"Or maybe Reid is doing it on purpose to get his attention."

Both were silent again.

Even they couldn't deny the fact that there had definitely been a significant change in the young genius a few months ago. His dress sense had become a lot more sophisticated…at least from the ankles up – he was still wearing mismatched socks- and his shirts _did_ seem to tighten across his defined chest or upper arms whenever he moved. He also seemed to be a lot more confident around the team. Though that could have just been from knowing them for so long that Reid had finally felt comfortable enough to break out of his shell.

"Maybe there is something going on."

"Well, we could always ask them on Monday?" J.J. offered.

"What? Ask them_, Oh, hey guys. Are you two dating? Or least in love? We'd really like to know for future reference. Kay, thanks, bye?"_

"No, no, no, no, you're right. Not like that. We'll just….observe them. See how they act around each other. Make a _profile_." J.J. amended slowly.

"I think you definitely missed the boat for the CIA spy team, J.J." Emily smiled.

"So it's settled?"

"Yeah….let's find out if the great Derek Morgan and genius extraordinaire, Spencer Reid, are up to a little loving behind our backs."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry guys, wasn't quite ready to give you all the great lovin' scene! And this chapter is just sort of a missing scene meant to be taking place around the same time that Morgan is comforting Reid out of his nightmare. Let me know what you all think, do Morgan and Reid make a good couple? Review, review!<strong>


	7. Lustful Actions

_Love is a single soul composed of two bodies._

That was Reid's initial thought as he gazed into Morgan….no, _Derek's_ dark eyes. They were filled with tender warmth, something that Reid wasn't entirely sure he had ever come across in all the years he had known Morgan. The man was composed of so many different facets that Reid found it hard to keep track of them but as he fixated on Morgan's lips just inches from his own, he made a decision to simply switch off his mind.

He didn't care about the multiple sides of his best friend. He didn't care that they were currently in Morgan's childhood home, only a few rooms down from his sister's respective rooms. He didn't _want_ to care.

And that was the most powerful feeling ever.

Deep breathing was the only sound to be heard in the bedroom and Reid felt his heart beat echo in his ears. He felt like he was panting though Morgan was hardly touching him. A rough hand was rubbing just barely over his exposed hipbone and it made Reid want to arch up into Morgan's grasp.

He felt strangely unbridled, like he was watching himself in a dream. More pressure was put on his hipbone and he silenced his mind.

Morgan reached up, lazily dragging a hand over Reid's chest and weaved it into his hair. With a trembling lip, he waited a moment before pressing a searing kiss to the underside of Reid's jaw.

Reid mewed and pushed upwards with his body, signaling he wanted more. Morgan experimentally ran a hand over Reid's sweaty collarbone and pressed another kiss to the jutting bones.

"More," Reid whispered hoarsely. He pulled Morgan to him, not just yet kissing him but digging his long nails into the tattoos and pressing his hardened self into Morgan's thigh.

Morgan trailed a series of hard kisses down Reid's neck, sucking achingly at the exposed skin. He was fighting hard to keep himself from absolutely attacking the young man. He felt as though his senses were on fire. Every touch would elicit an urgent moan from Reid. He could smell the sweat on his skin and Reid's Creed Green Irish Tweed cologne, which was deliciously masculine but simultaneously savory. Every touch burned deep within Morgan's groin and he tasted just _fucking_ good.

"God, I've wanted this, Pretty Boy," Morgan murmured, burying his head into Reid's neck once again and curling his fingers around the drawstring of Reid's pajama pants.

"No talking," Reid moaned back, arcing his body into Morgan's, loving the friction it caused. "I don't want to think."

Each touch was like a check of completion, an exploration, before moving on and Morgan rolled over, bringing Reid on top of him. He loved the weighty feeling of Reid's body against his. Even more, he loved when Reid took an experimental bite at his ear.

"Oh, fuck." He whispered.

Reid dove back in, his lips inches from each other. _This was it._

So close.

Their breathing hitched in both their throats.

Closer.

And then they were kissing. Pressing their lips together in a passionate way, moaning and tugging at each other's limited clothing. Morgan's kisses were hard and deliberate whereas Reid's were needy and tender though both together they fit like the most perfect puzzle pieces.

Reid tugged at Morgan's bottom lip, bringing a moan from the older agent. Morgan's tongue snaked into Reid's mouth in response, running smoothly over those teeth.

"Off?" Morgan pulled at Reid's pajama pants.

"Off." Reid climbed off of Morgan, awkwardly banging his knee against the bedside table. He pulled at the drawstring of his dark green plaid pants and in moments he was completely bare. He stretched an arm across his chest self-consciously but Morgan reached to pull him back down on top of him.

"Hey…" he murmured into Reid's hair, rolling back over so Reid was against the sheets on the bed.

"Hi," Reid whispered, blushing under Morgan's intense gaze.

"You sure about this, baby boy?"

"Yeah."

Morgan held Reid's face between his hands, thumbs caressing sharp cheekbones before leaning into a soft, the softest, kiss that seemed full of so much emotion that words didn't even seem necessary.

"Just you and me," he whispered to Reid.

Reid blushed, looking as though he wanted to say something but bit his lip instead.

His hands glided over Morgan's pajama pants, pulling them off smoothly. The friction between the two bodies along with the stifling heat in the room was immense and neither one of the men could remember a time when they had felt like this.

Morgan cupped Reid's hard member, running its length with a pressured hand.

Reid inhaled sharply, whimpering in ecstasy.

"Do you have anything…?" Morgan asked, clamping a hand around Reid.

Reid shook his head but curled his fingers around Morgan's and brought them slowly to his mouth.

Morgan watched wide-eyed as Reid slowly, delicately, took his fingers in his mouth, sucking each digit meticulously. His tongue flickered out and then he was biting down on them with urgency.

Morgan nodded, slipping his wet fingers down Reid until he reached his entrance.

"It will hurt…"

"That's okay….I-I trust you, Derek. I trust you _completely_." Reid whispered, his eyes large and expressive.

"Breathe out," Morgan instructed, his lips pressing against Reid's.

"Breathe _me_," Reid countered, closing his eyes and letting the feeling of warm fingers overtake him.

There was a moment before Morgan started moving again and Reid let out a guttural moan. Their bodies moved together with necessity rather than wanting. They _needed_ each other like this…..they were responding to each other with complete cohesion it seemed as though they had been _built_ for each other.

Their kisses became primal, far from sweet and tender, and Morgan felt his aching member become tense.

"I want you. _Now_," he growled, biting down on Reid's ear. He pushed Reid further into the bed.

Heavy breathing increased and Morgan nudged Reid's long legs further apart to make room for him.

The feeling was immense. Morgan felt like he was looking down a hollow tunnel as he entered Reid. The heat was sweltering and Reid's panting was the only sound to be heard.

"_Oh, God…..Derek_," Reid pulled Morgan closer, clasping him in a sweaty embrace. "_Do it." _

Morgan slammed into Reid, both men reaching a high immediately.

"_Fuck.."_ Morgan bit out, coming back down for more. He thrust back into Reid, loving how the genius beneath him had come completely undone. He felt long legs surround his waist that Morgan drove further into his new lover.

"_Right there!_" Reid groaned loudly, dragging his nails over Morgan's back.

Morgan reached for Reid's member between them and stretched a hand over its length, rubbing it with his wet hand.

"_Yeah….yeah! Oh, fuck, Derek, yes_!" Reid propelled his hips upwards to meet Morgan's and Morgan let out a low moan as their hipbones collided with the best pain.

"Fuck…Spencer…" Morgan growled, feeling himself coming closer. The panting in his ears became louder as everything came into focus.

_Reid's writhing body beneath him; his hands on Morgan's abs, searching lovingly; his tongue in Morgan's ear; the intense tightness and heat surrounding his throbbing member; the sweat-slicked movements as they drove to meet each other in ecstasy. _

"_I'm close." _Morgan heard himself murmur, his hand grasping Reid's cock becoming smooth in his hand.

Reid slammed up to meet Morgan and their lips met in a lustful greeting, tugging, biting, guttural moans escaping between kisses.

And then Morgan was cumming, shooting into Reid in thick, hot ropes.

"_Fuuuuck_," he murmured into Reid's collarbone.

Reid let out a low, breathless whine, reaching completion as well and hot liquid splashed between their chests.

Both men's breathing subsided after a few moments and Morgan was reluctant to roll off of Reid.

He gazed down at the man he had just made love to and brushed a damp hand over Reid's forehead, dropping a kiss to him. They shared a look between them and Morgan smiled before pulling out of Reid and getting off the bed, his figure casting shadows on the walls of the bedroom.

Reid was silent, letting his eyes roam Morgan's naked body. He couldn't believe what just happened.

Suddenly fear gripped him. What _had_ just happened?

"Derek…." He whisper-called.

"Mmmmm?" He heard Morgan reply from the bathroom. The older agent returned with a damp washcloth and ran it over Reid's chest and stomach before tossing it in the general direction of the doorway.

"Derek, I need to say something." Reid leaned up on his elbows, suddenly serious.

Morgan nodded, his brows catching together. Reid's somber face was a total change from how it had been just a few minutes ago and it caused his stomach to drop. _Shit_.

"This wasn't a stupid thing. This meant _something_ to me." Reid whispered, lowering his eyes as though he was embarrassed.

Morgan let out a breath, and pulled Reid to him, tucking the covers around them.

"Jesus, Pretty Boy, you scared me." He murmured into Reid's hair. "Of course this meant something to me too."

Reid looked up, a small smile playing on his lips. "Really?"

"Really."

"So…this is….?"

"Something…..if _you_ want it to be…" Morgan finished for him, laying them both down. Reid immediately buried his head into the crook of Morgan's neck. _That felt nice._

"But I heard you say in the living room that you didn't like me," Reid squeaked, reaching for Morgan's hands as though he was afraid his lover would leave.

Morgan sighed, understanding filling his heart. So _that_ was why Reid had been acting strange at dinner. "I was _going_ to say that I didn't like you as just a friend anymore, but something much more." He soothingly ran a hand down Reid's bare back, enjoying the dips and curves of his ribs.

"Oh…" Reid replied softly. There were a few moments of silence between them and Reid contemplated telling Morgan he loved him He really did. But he couldn't..._could_ he? It felt too soon.

Reid gave his head a mental shake. _Don't scare him away, dumbass_, he felt like one part of his mind was saying to him while the other was more nurturing in its delivery..._He loves you too, Spencer...you just have to tell him_. Instead Reid broke the silence with, "Sorry about calling you an over-eater."

"That's okay, Baby Boy." Morgan chuckled softly. He let out a breath and stretched his long arms out, basking in how content he was just to stay how he was, holding Reid close to him.

"Derek?" Reid whispered, feeling his eyes slowly grow heavier until they shut with fatigue.

"Mmmm?"

"So does this mean I can call you my boyfriend?"

"Only if I get to call you mine," Morgan whispered back, tightening his grip on Reid's hip. This was how it was _supposed_ to be.

Both agents were silent for the next few minutes and just as Morgan felt sleep begin to creep in, Reid spoke again.

"Derek?"

"Derek's_ sleeping_." Morgan smiled despite himself.

"Derek?" Reid whispered insistently, trailing a hand over a sensitive, certain ink-filled mark on Morgan's hip. He tried to temper the insistent beating of his heart but he was felt like if he didn't at least come close to telling Morgan he loved him it would emphatically burst through his chest.

"Mmmmm. What, Baby?" Morgan let out a sigh.

There was another tense moment of silence and then Reid let out a defeated breath. He couldn't...not just yet.

"Nice tattoo."

* * *

><p><strong>It's not over yet, a few more chapters to come! Sorry to leave a small cliffhanger at the end! Let me know what you guys think of my first heavy slash scene! Review, review, review!<strong>


	8. Disappointing Results

Monday morning at the BAU was anything but normal. Calling it crazy would be, in fact, a serious euphemism. As soon as Reid and Morgan had walked in together, equally smug looks plastered across both their faces it had been a total free-for-all.

Morgan looked like he usually did, not making any attempt at hiding his shit-eating grin as he practically skipped to his desk. _Since when he was so gleeful?_ Reid on the other had just looked thoroughly _sexed_. His shoulders were no longer tensed up around his ears like they were before the break had started and he seemed to relax into Morgan's touch whenever his coworker threw a playful arm around him or ruffled his hair.

And that had only spurned J.J., Emily and Garcia along more.

Emily had been practically rubbing herself against Reid like a cat in heat, desperate to extract information out of him about his Thanksgiving break. All that had done, however, was push Reid to abruptly shoot himself out of his chair in an attempt to run to the bathroom to calm himself down.

In a last ditch attempt at salvaging any sort of plan she and J.J. had formulated, Emily had spastically flung Reid's coffee at his retreating back, splashing his lilac button down with scalding liquid.

"Son of a bitch!" Reid had cried since, evidently, that was his new coined phrase. "What the hell, Emily?" He had immediately untucked the shirt and pulled it over his head without thinking about what he was revealing.

Large, dark hickeys covered the back of his neck, trailing down across his shoulders and between his shoulder blades. They resembled tattooed bruises and from far away it looked as though Reid had been caught in the crossfire of a ball machine.

"Oh my God, Reid, what happened?" J.J. had put a hand to her mouth. Had Morgan _beat_ Reid? Or just fucked him against drywall?

Reid had frozen, realizing his mistake. "I, uh, fell."

"Onto someone's lips, nugget?" Garcia had cooed, shooting at look at Morgan who was scratching the back of his neck and pretending not to look at the scene unfolding in front of his desk.

"So Pretty Boy got some during break? Good for him." Morgan shrugged. "Bet the person's a real steal."

Morgan _never_ defended Reid's romantic conquests. If anything, he stored them away for future ammunition against the genius.

The plan concerning Morgan hadn't followed any easier. He was like a tightly wound vault. Garcia had run out of affectionate nicknames in only a few minutes and Morgan had only responded with his usual easy grin and had spewed a quick story about a "holiday honey."

Currently, he was pouring himself another cup of coffee in the empty break room until Reid burst through, the collar of his backup shirt flipped up around his neck and his tie loosely hanging off his neck.

Morgan turned around, bewildered.

"She's crazy, Derek! She's crazy! And just when you think you've reached the bottom of her craziness, there's a crazy underground _garage_!" Reid exclaimed, grabbing at Morgan's shoulders in a flustered panic.

"Woah, woah, hold up, Pretty Boy. Who is crazy?"

"Emily! She practically tried to fornicate with me on top of my desk!" Reid was breathing hard and Morgan reached a hand out to steady his new boyfriend.

He realized this was going to be a lot harder than they had originally planned. Evidently a team of profilers was going to be the first ones to spot a change in their behavior or worm out a potential relationship. He immediately regretted pouncing on Reid that morning in the shower and letting his romantic aggression get the better of him. That had been what caused all of those marks on Reid's back.

"Shit," he sighed. He ran a hand over his face.

Reid swallowed, straightening his sweater and the collar of his shirt. "What are we doing to do? I-I….we...we can't let them find out. About us. There are rules, Derek."

"I _know_ about the rules, Spencer." Derek snapped suddenly.

Reid flinched like he had been burnt and his face momentarily darkened.

Morgan shook his head, unsure of what to say or do. "I'm sorry, man."

Reid took a step back from him which surprised Morgan. "I hate this." He whispered.

Morgan sighed again. He hated it too, but he just wasn't ready to face it all yet. The changes in the power play of the BAU would be inevitable. He was _Derek Morgan_, womanizer extraordinaire. He knew he wasn't ready to give up his reputation yet. Not when he was still unsure about telling Reid he loved him. He didn't want to scare the genius away with his romantic aggression and until they agreed to become serious, it was going to have to remain a secret. The other members of the BAU might try to intervene and Reid and Morgan were currently being held in a very delicate balance of best friends, coworkers and lovers and it was too fragile to move too quickly.

"I know, Baby boy. It sucks," he said. "But it's going to be worth it in the end. I promise."

"Is it?" Reid looked at his lover. The female side of their team were running around like wild Indians and Morgan and him were already snapping at each other and it had only been day one of trying to hide their relationship.

He loved Morgan with all of his heart and had no regrets of what had transpired between them over the weekend but if this was going to cause complications between them at work then it almost didn't seem worth it. Work always came first with Reid. As it should with all of them.

"Of course." Morgan frowned, a certain defensive edge to his voice. _Didn't Reid want to be with him? _He thought before feeling a panic rise up in him. "Don't you think so?"

Reid nodded, surrendering to Morgan's arms. He hid his face in his lover's shoulder. He was desperate to tell Morgan he loved him. Just get it over with. Just to cement their relationship….make it something. Turn it into some sort of label just to sort this all out.

"Sorry." Morgan closed his eyes, resting his head on top of Reid's.

"I apologize too."

Morgan adjusted Reid's shirt for him. "You and your layers," he said softly, laughing as Reid twisted out of his grasp. "When did you become so fashionable?"

Reid looked at him shyly. "I'm not exactly fashionable," he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his slim trousers. "I just like what I like."

"Well, I think you're looking pretty sharp right now. Even with that on," he plucked the collar of Reid's favorite navy sweater

"There's nothing wrong with this sweater." Reid remarked indignantly, pushing Morgan's wandering hands off his hips. Obviously their fight was forgotten as Morgan's grip tightened.

"Yes there is," Morgan leaned in, once again wrapping his hands around Reid's slim waist. "It's really, _really_, soft." He whispered close to Reid's ear, sending shivers down his young boyfriend's spine.

"Derek, we're at work," Reid found it harder to argue as Morgan found Reid's neck and began to gently dot kisses up towards his right ear.

"Sorry, I can't help but rejoice that you're _mine_ now." Morgan mumbled, sucking on Reid's ear lobe.

Reid's breathing had become ragged. "Derek…" he breathed lightly, annoyed that he had gotten himself into this situation. Amazing as it was, they were at work with about seventeen other FBI workers just outside the door and should they get caught there would be serious consequences. It would just prove all that Emily and the rest of the girls were trying to figure out.

Morgan gave a light kiss to Reid's cheek and pulled away. "Sorry, Pretty Boy. I just got caught up in the moment."

"Evidently," Reid crossed his arms over his chest though there was a smile on his face as he said it. "So what do we do now?"

Both agents were silent before they heard Emily's voice call out, looking for Reid.

"Maybe we _should_ tell them?" Reid muttered under his breath, feeling the heat rise up from the back of his neck.

Morgan looked up sharply. "I thought we just agreed not to?"

Reid was silent.

"It gets a little difficult and you want to put our jobs in jeopardy?"

Reid's eyes widened. "No, that's not it at all. I'm sure Hotch wouldn't-"

"It's not about Hotch. It's not up to him to decide what happens to us. He doesn't get to decide what everyone thinks about us." Morgan shot at Reid, panic filling his mind. They couldn't tell the team. And he couldn't tell Reid the real reason why he didn't want the team to know. He wouldn't understand.

"What do you mean '_everyone thinks about us_?'" Reid stepped back from Morgan, his eyes narrowing.

"Nothing, kid. I just meant-"

"You don't want anyone to think anything less of you," Reid remarked slowly, understanding appearing on his face. His cheekbones became more pronounced as he sucked in his cheeks.

Morgan didn't say anything. His stance changed from inviting to defensive, invisible walls rising up around him.

It was going to be hard to hide anything from a genius like Reid.

Why was this so _hard_? One second they were all over each other and the next they were like this: aggressive towards each other and fighting over wanting to tell the team.

"So you'd rather the team didn't know you were _fucking_ your Pretty Boy instead of a bunch of women you picked up at a downtown club?"

Morgan raised his eyes, taken aback by Reid swearing. "What? No! It's not like that."

"I'm sure."

Reid shook his head, relief washing over his body from not telling Morgan he loved him.

He turned on his heel and walked through the door of the break room and back into the bullpen.

"Reid, wait!"

* * *

><p>Morgan felt as though he were moving through underwater. Despite his mind telling his limbs to move faster after Reid before he blew everything his legs refused to cooperate. He made it past the door of the break room, past Emily, and made a grab at Reid's upper arm, pulling him back.<p>

It seemed like the movements of the rest of the team members slowed down too and blurred as he focused on the shape of Reid in front of him.

"Stop it, man!" Reid broke away from Morgan's strong grasp and whirled around to face him, not caring that they were attracting unwanted attention.

"Don't do this. Not here." Morgan said in a low voice, fear making its way into his tone. God, he _couldn't_ lose Reid. Not when he had finally gotten everything he wanted.

"Oh really? Why not here? That way we can give these girls come peace of mind." Reid glowered at Morgan, gesturing vaguely at the blurry shapes in Morgan's eyes. All he was focused on was holding Reid's hardened gaze.

"Pretty Boy-"

"Don't you know which direction _off_ is?" Reid ground out.

"Why?" Morgan knit his brows together.

"Because it's the general direction in which I'd wish you'd _fuck_." Reid turned back around on the heel of his converse, making a move to return to his desk but Morgan felt an explosion of anger roar through his body.

"Oh really? You didn't mean to mind the direction I was going in the last time there was fucking involved." Morgan sneered.

Reid stopped at that and an audible gasp flushed through the team members. Out of his peripheral vision, Morgan saw J.J's mouth open slightly and shoot a look at Emily. Garcia gasped.

"Fuck this. Let the team know then," Morgan continued. "Doesn't bother me. Let them know that I'm with Spencer Reid, the great genius of the FBI."

Reid stood in place with his back to Morgan. He didn't know what to say to that at all. He had just been insulted and sort of complicated within a matter of seconds and both sides of his brain were fighting over how to respond to the two different statements.

"I didn't want to do it like this," he felt himself retreating back into his submissive shell. Morgan's temper was a frightening thing and he felt him slipping from his grasp. It felt almost years ago that he lay beneath the older agent, whimpering from pleasure and feeling as though his world was completed.

"Do the other horsemen know you've arrived on Earth safely?" Morgan plucked at the collar of Reid's shirt.

Obviously he wasn't slowing down anytime soon and Reid bit his lip. He watched as the snow from outside fell in heavy flurries down in front of the window. It was practically a blizzard going on.

"I don't know, do you still keep in touch with all the other apes who haven't managed to grow past simple evolution like yourself? I'm surprised they haven't captured you for captivity yet."

"Yeah? I'm surprised they haven't stuck you under a microscope yet and examined you for severe defections."

"Well I'm surprised-"

"Alright that's enough!" Hotch barked, pushing through the crowd that surrounded the two agents. "We get it. You're both surprised. Morgan. Reid. I want to see you both in my office _right now_."

"Well I think we got our answer…" Emily whispered to Garcia and J.J.

"Yeah, well I didn't think it would end up like this." J.J. shook her head sadly.

Both men looked at each other, sizing each other up. Morgan took a step to follow Hotch, swallowing his pride.

Reid's shoulders dropped and he closed his eyes. He was sure he had lost all chances with the man he loved so much now.

He made a move towards Morgan and that's when the lights went out.

And everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry it took so long to update! Serious case of writer's block! I know this chapter is not as fun as previous ones but hopefully you guys still liked it! Please review! <strong>


	9. An Enlightened Acception

The BAU bullpen was blanketed in a sudden and suppressing darkness that surrounded each member like a clinging shadow. The laptops were the only source of light for a few moments and their blue lights bathed the room in an eerie glow, reminiscent of interrogation rooms and hospitals.

Shouts came from all directions and the clicking as weapons were all drawn could be heard around the spacious room.

"Alright, calm down. Weapons _down_, everyone. I think it's just a power outage." Hotch called out, ever the rational one.

The darkened light that filtered through the windows cast a weak glow throughout the room and if Reid squinted just enough, he could make out his team members putting away their guns. He carefully clicked the safety back on his revolver and tucked it away in its holster.

_Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. _

Reid despised the dark and the glowing blue Apple icon that seemed to smolder from his laptop on his desk did little to comfort him. Not like Morgan usually did when they were forced into sinister residences or shadowy alleyways while on the job.

Reid forced himself to calm his breathing as he palmed the wall next to him in order to grab onto something. How was it that he could stomach shooting an unsub dead without blinking but when it came to standing in a pitch-black room, he was demoted to a quivering mess?

"Shouldn't the generators be working? This is a government building." Rossi's voice broke through and Reid could hear footsteps coming towards him. "_Shit_," he heard the man curse quietly as he made contact with the sharp end of a desk before making his way over to their Unit Chief.

"It's probably the snow that's causing the lights to go out as well as the generators."

"Hotch, the doors aren't opening." J.J's surprisingly calm voice rung out.

Morgan felt very unnerved by the sudden darkness, especially since no electricity meant that the security doors of their bullpen were locked down. That meant they were trapped. That meant he was trapped with Reid.

_Oh God. _

_Reid's fear of the dark._

Morgan's heart pace quickened and he felt his anger dissipate almost instantly. His muscles unclenched and he strapped his gun back into its holster. It didn't matter how angry he became, he remained fiercely protective of Reid's fears.

He had seen the way the genius got when he was trapped in the dark. He became agitated and almost like a small child who had been locked away in a closet. Morgan blinked his way through the thick darkness before smashing his shoulder into a wall.

"Damn," he swore under his breath. He slid down the wall, letting himself sit with his back against it and his legs splayed out in front of him. He blew out a breath.

No sense in trying to go anywhere now.

He leaned his head against the cold wall and ran a hand over his head.

There were a few moments of silence where he tried to clear his mind and it seemed as though everything came into focus. Thanksgiving weekend had been something of a miracle. Him and Reid…they had simply slotted in place together with such ease it made Morgan wonder what had prevented him from making a move on the younger agent all these past years.

True, he hadn't wanted the rest of his team to come to the knowledge of Reid and him becoming romantically involved. But now it was out and when Morgan closed his eyes, he had seen only surprise on his coworker's faces at Morgan and Reid's harsh words towards each other rather than surprise at discovering that they were together. How could he have said those things to Reid? It didn't matter that Reid was probably just as bad, if it not _more_ skilled at hurling sarcastic insults, but Morgan was older and should have swallowed his pride instead of picking his young lover down. Not when Reid was so sensitive.

There were a few noises of discomfort and shuffling as the other team members found their way to desks or chairs to perch on and wait out the power outage and Morgan's ears filled with the sound of quiet breathing. Probably Hotch coming to fire him. Figures he would be fired in the dark.

Morgan blew out a breath. If he couldn't have his job – and he loved his job with a fierceness that couldn't be paralleled – then perhaps he could still make things up with Reid. He wasn't about to lose his Pretty Boy too.

"I'm not going to fire either of you," Hotch's voice whispered beside Morgan as though reading his mind. Morgan raised his eyes to meet Hotch's despite the shadows cloaking them. "I just don't understand why you felt the need to _hide_ this from me." He used the same tone he had used with J.J. when he had found out that the young blonde was pregnant. It was one of incredulous hurt, like _How could you not trust me to be on your side?_

"I'm sorry, Hotch. But there really wasn't anything to hide. Things…stuff happened with Reid and I only this past weekend. We are…_were_ still in the midst of figuring out what this is. This was the first day of dealing with all of this."

"Well you're a good agent. One of the best I've ever seen, in fact. And I know Reid is capable of handling all of this as well," Hotch said softly, his eyes scanning the room for Reid. There was no sign of the genius, however. "I trust you to use your judgment and continue accordingly. Things will fall into place after that."

"You really think so?" Morgan was having a hard time accepting that Hotch was perfectly fine with having two seemingly straight agents come together romantically.

"I know what a toll this job can have on romantic relationships…family," Hotch's voice slowed momentarily and he sighed, his breath catching in his throat. _Hailey_. Of course. "To find someone who understands this job is a rare chance. You take that chance. And you don't let it go."

"You knew you were such a Casanova?" Morgan chuckled, clasping Hotch on his upper arm in a thank you gesture.

"Hardly a Casanova. But an old dog knows from experience." Hotch flashed Morgan one of his rare smiles. "Go fix things. And I want to it be discreet. No more of these hurling insults at each other. Work is work. Whatever you two do off the clock I'd rather not know," Hotch smiled in understanding.

Morgan rose up from the carpeted floor and flexed his muscles in his legs, feeling his knees give a satisfactory crack. He was suddenly reminded of the song "Breathe Me" by Sia and how the lyrics seemed to fit Reid's affliction with the dark.

_Be my friend._

_Hold me._

_Wrap me up._

_And fold me, I am small._

_And needy._

_Warm me up._

_And breathe me. _

"Reid?" He whispered, walking along the perimeter of the bullpen, holding his arm out in case he should run into anything sharp or, with his luck recently, through a window.

Reid didn't answer and Morgan slid his body along the wall until he made contact with a body somewhere near Hotch's office door. He put a hand out and felt Reid's soft hair collide with his wandering fingers. He dropped them to what he thought was Reid's shoulder.

The genius was shivering.

"Hey, Pretty Boy, are you okay?" He whispered.

"I hate the dark." Reid murmured back. He was shaking from fear and felt his body break into a cold sweat.

"Hey, it's just a power outage. I'm sure the lights will come back on soon," Morgan brushed his fingers over Reid's ear. "Come over here."

"No, you hate me."

"I don't hate you, Baby Boy."

"You said some less than kindly things to me."

"You said some things too you know."

Reid was silent before Morgan felt a body move into his. He automatically opened his arms and folded Reid into his grasp, smoothing his hands over Reid's back to soothe him.

"Well I guess the secret's out."

"I suppose that has been verified."

"Sorry about calling you a horseman of the Apocalypse, kid."

"Sorry about calling you a primate."

Morgan let out a chuckle, kissing the top of Reid's head. "That's okay. That was actually a pretty good comeback. I'll have to remember that one."

"Did Hotch talk to you?"

"Yeah. He actually was cool with it all it seems. We just have to keep ourselves professional at work." Morgan rested his chin on the crown of Reid's head and closed his eyes, letting the darkness envelope him and his boyfriend.

"Obviously," Reid scoffed, nuzzling himself into Morgan's warm embrace.

"The FBI can't lose its favorite smarty pants and resident badass."

"Well I wouldn't say I was a badass…." Reid laughed softly. He felt Morgan tickle him slightly.

"Hey you, I was talking about myself." Morgan grinned, pulling Reid closer. He felt a lightheartedness flutter in his chest that he hadn't felt a few hours earlier. It was like a new page turning.

"I didn't think that Hotch was that mad about us together. I think he was more frustrated by the fact that we were making a scene."

"Agreed."

"I would have crushed you in comebacks anyways," Reid murmured.

"What?"

"What?" Reid countered almost immediately after Morgan opened his mouth, smiling to himself.

"We'll see about that one, kid. Don't try anything stupid."

"That won't be necessary. You'll take the stupid with you," Reid laughed softly, not wanting to draw attention to his moment with Morgan and have anything disrupt it.

The two were silent and they could hear Emily and Hotch talking to the rest of the team from across the room.

Morgan inhaled and enjoyed the way Reid's shampoo smell filled his nose. He ran a hand through the silky amber strands of hair under his chin and then let his hand run down Reid's face until it dropped to his collarbone.

Reid let out a small shiver though Morgan was sure this one wasn't because of the dark.

"Hey," he whispered in Reid's ear, before letting his tongue run over the outer edge. He let his other hand wander up Reid's shirt, settling on the warm skin and tracing patterns over his lightly muscled stomach. "Still afraid of the dark?"

Reid's breath had quickened and he gripped Morgan's free hand.

Morgan continued to press deliberate kisses to the back of Reid's neck and up along is jaw. He shifted Reid so they were facing each other and kissed his cheek.

"Not as much," Reid muttered, finding his voice. He fisted Morgan's shirt in his hands, a thrill running down his spine.

"Well that's good," Morgan took Reid's face in his rough hands and ran a finger over his lips before pressing a soft kiss to them.

"Hey, we have to remain in a professional capacity at work, remember?" Reid smiled despite his protest.

"Sorry, can't help myself." Morgan lifted his lips off of Reid's neck and leaned his head against the wall. "So you want to do something tonight?"

"The only thing you're doing is coming over to my place tonight, lovebugs!" Garcia's voice broke through the silence and both male agents sprang apart like they had been electrocuted. "Geez, relax, drama queens. It's just yours truly!"

The bubbly redhead situated herself between Morgan and Reid and put a hand on each of their cheeks.

"I knew you guys would realize you were made for each other!" She whispered, smiling as she stroked a fluffy pen up along Reid's neck, making him flail slightly.

"It gladdens me that you approve, Garcia," Reid replied in a quiet voice. His eyes had adjusted to the dark and he was able to make out the outlines of both Garcia and Morgan.

"Yeah, it, uh, _gladdens_ me too." Morgan leaned over to punch Reid in the arm.

"I'm gonna go tell the others. It's an early Christmas party bee tee dubs. Dress accordingly."

Morgan and Reid watched their best friend flit away to find the other agents in the darkness.

"Lovebug?" Reid had a hint of confusion in his tone. "Do we have to go?"

"Of course. It will be fun…" Reid crept his fingers over the carpet and grasped Morgan's hand lightly in his. "_…lovebug_," Morgan snickered.

And then the darkness was over.

Both figuratively and literally.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! Thank you so much for all the reviews so far, it means so much! Keep 'em coming! 


	10. Realizations

Reid carefully drew up beside Morgan's empty Suburban and put his own black SUV in park. Snow flurries immediately blanketed the windshield and as he slid out of the driver's seat, Reid made sure that his loafers were planted firmly on the ground before making any further movements. The last thing he needed was to go flailing through the snow and crash through Garcia and Kevin's front door.

Garcia's "_Let's celebrate Christmas ridiculously early_" party had started about 20 minutes ago and since Reid was usually the first to arrive for everything, he had vigilantly decided to experiment with being fashionably late.

His phone chimed with a new text.

_Get lost Snow White? D_

He worked his fingers over the screen of his iPhone, which thankfully had been replaced after his last one had been flung at Emily accidently.

_Here. Let me in? S_

Reid felt a wave of excitement flutter through his stomach and down to his groin. The lights had finally come back on at work a few moments after the two agents had apologized to one another and now standing outside of Garcia's house brought Reid back to the familiar fuzzy feeling of being outside of Morgan's childhood home in Chicago only a few days back. He normally wasn't one for parties but even Hotch had announced he was coming and Morgan had been assaulting him with text messages since he had returned home to his apartment with promises that if he came to the party for dinner, he would bring dessert home to Reid.

Whatever that meant, though Reid was pretty certain there would be no food involved.

The door flew open and Morgan's figure cast a shadow across the trampled snow that covered the pathway to the house.

"What did you do, ride a tricycle here?" He joked, grabbing hold of Reid's slim wrist and dragging him inside.

"No, I drove. _Slowly_. There's a blizzard outside." Reid smiled and unwound his scarf from around his neck.

The small hallway to the house was already decorated with holly garlands and red bows and the familiar scent of baked brownies caused Reid to remember how hungry he was. The only thing he'd eaten today was an entire jar of Nutella.

"You look good, Pretty Boy. Got a hot date?" Morgan ran his eyes appreciatively up Reid's form, taking in his navy and white striped T-shirt that lay beneath a charcoal grey blazer.

"No," Reid blushed, feeling as though he were back in Morgan's bed before they had kissed. "You look nice too, though."

"Thanks." Morgan drew Reid into his arms and gave him a small kiss. "So you ready to be fed to the lions? They've been driving themselves nuts trying to avoid asking me questions about us since I arrived."

Reid paused. Morgan seemed strangely okay with all of the attention they had been getting since the lights came back on at work earlier. Both Emily and J.J. had run to give the men hugs, congratulating them with the same enthusiastic tone that was normally reserved for weddings or pregnancy announcements. Rossi had simply slapped a twenty into Emily's hand and mumbled "_about time too_."

"You're okay with all of this?" Reid asked curiously, searching Morgan's dark eyes for any hints of deception.

Morgan shrugged. "That blackout was kind of a blessing, really. I got to thinking about everything and came to the realization that we're a family. And family supports one another through their endeavors. And if two people like each other then since when is that a crime?"

Reid smirked at Morgan. "Get that nice speech from Hotch?"

"Okay, _fine_. But I really did think about us. Spencer, you're worth a whole lot more than some stupid reputation that I previously had at work. Hell, you're worth the whole world. And I'm working on that, so be patient. But in all seriousness…I want this to work. This thing between us is something. And like you said that night in my bed, this meant something to _both_ of us."

Reid smiled. He couldn't believe these words were coming from Morgan's mouth.

"And if two people, uh, you know, love… each other, then who I am to break that spark?"

Reid's heart slowed momentarily as he took in Morgan's words. He watched Morgan's lips.

_Love_?

"Love?" Reid reiterated out loud.

Morgan's lips twitched up in a small smile. He took Reid's hand in own warm palm and led him through to the kitchen. "Come on, Pretty Boy."

* * *

>"Look who it is, our boy wonder and our cocoa muffin!" Garcia cooed from her place over the stove where she was stirring a delicious smelling sauce.<p><p>

"Garcia, you have to keep stirring!" Rossi flapped a hand at the tech in true OCD chef fashion. "Otherwise the sauce will clump together."

"Sorry, I'm late, guys." Reid held up a hand in greeting. "Good to see you again, Kevin." He nodded at Garcia's boyfriend who was leaning against the countertop next to J.J.

"You too, Spencer."

There was am awkward quietness that settled over the group as though no one was sure what to say. Morgan scooted slightly closer to Reid and put a warm hand on his back to soothe him.

Hotch cleared his throat. "Want some wine, Reid?"

Reid nodded, grateful for the interruption. He really was hoping this wasn't going to be awkward.

"How about we all move into the living room and I'll help Pen here?" Morgan coughed and moved to excuse everyone from the room.

"Keep stirring!" Rossi called as he exited through the dining room.

The room was empty and Garcia immediately abandoned her sauce in favor of gossiping with her best friend.

"Okay, awkward, much?" She widened her eyes.

Morgan sighed. "I know. I didn't think this was going to be an issue. I don't want to freak Reid out."

"They were asking questions though earlier and you were fine with it."

Morgan looked up at Garcia. "I wasn't talking about that, actually."

"Then what?" Garcia smoothed a hand over Morgan's shoulder. "You can tell me anything."

Morgan paused. "I think I may have let it slip earlier that I love Reid and I'm not quite sure what to do about it."

Garcia's eyes widened and she pulled Morgan into a tight hug. "Oh my God! My cocoa baby loves my vanilla muffin! This is so fantastic! Can I plan the wedding? Oh my God, _no_, we should go on a double date!"

"Whoa, whoa, Pen. Calm down." Morgan laughed.

"I don't see the problem though. Just tell him you love him?"

"It won't freak him out? I mean it's Reid."

"Reid is a lot more grounded than you give him credit for, baby." Garcia scolded Morgan. She flicked her finger at his cheek. "Besides, it's not exactly unrequited love."

"What do you mean?"

"God, you men. You're absolutely useless. It's so obvious that Reid is in love with you too. I mean, duh!"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Tell him."

Morgan leaned away from Garcia and looked down at his shoes to think.

_He could tell him. Why the hell not? _

"I have mistletoe if you need anything to get you going?" Garcia raised an eyebrow. "It definitely helped Kevin out last year."

"Thanks for sharing," Morgan chuckled, hugging his best friend. "Well we'll see how the night goes. I might tell him."

"Okay, well skedaddle for now because I need to bring Rossi's sauce back from the dead. I'll see you out there in a bit."

* * *

><p><p>

Reid sipped his wine slowly, willing himself not to chug it just to have something to do. He was faced with ten pairs of wondering eyes and he knew what they were all thinking.

"Okay, just ask if you must." He sighed, sitting on the arm of the couch. He looked down at J.J. who was grinning. "You can start."

J.J. tucked her legs up under herself and adjusted her skirt. "I wasn't going to ask anything, Spence. But I was going to tell you that Emily and I had it pegged from the start."

"That we did." Emily agreed.

"So that's why you guys were acting outside your normal behavior patterns?"

"Pretty much. No offence, Reid, but I'd rather not have sex with you on the copy machine." Emily smirked, clinking her glass of prosecco against J.J's.

Reid reddened and he took a gulp of wine from the deep glass. "Good to know, I suppose. Not that you're my type anyway."

"I think we are all away of your type now," Hotch joked uncharacteristically. Evidently the wine had gone straight to his head after a long day at work.

"I think I'm going to go make a call before this gets anymore heated." Rossi excused himself from the room and went out into the hallway.

Reid forced himself to look at J.J. who put a small hand on his leg.

"In all seriousness, I really am happy that you and Morgan found each other. After the whole Emily situation I felt like maybe you had completely shut down your emotions." The young blonde said quietly.

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I really do love him." Reid gave a small smile and looked down at the cuffs of his blazer. He had never admitted to being in love with Morgan until just now and he was tempted to pull at the threads just to have something to do with his hands.

"You love him? Does he know?" J.J. asked, leaning up on her haunches.

"No, I haven't told him yet."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure…maybe I'm scared he won't say it back? We, uh…this all happened so fast that I feel as though it might be too soon."

"But you guys have known each other for like nine years now. You guys met when? When you were 22 and he was 30? You're 31 now, Spence. That's a long time to know someone and be so close with them."

Reid laughed. "What is with you guys giving us these sentimental speeches today?"

"Seriously, though, Spence. Tell him."

Reid thought back to how Morgan and him had been fighting over Thanksgiving. How confident Reid had felt exchanging playful insults at each other. Morgan made him feel more in control of his life. Like he was something outside of the BAU. At work he was Spencer Reid, genius man and that was it. But outside of work…with Morgan…he was Spencer Reid, a sweet and hopeful individual who had earned the love of another man who could easily have any person in the world at his disposal. He had hobbies and pet peeves. He did weird things in his sleep…he wore mismatching socks and had a collection of RayBan sunglasses that totaled somewhere north of sixteen pairs.

He became a whole being with Morgan and the older agent accepted that.

"I will."

* * *

><p><p>

Morgan planted a sloppy kiss on the underside of Reid's jaw, moving his body upwards as he lay on top of his slender boyfriend. The younger agent whimpered in response, placing his hands on Morgan's neck and drawing him in for a kiss.

"Hey," Reid murmured, a light sheen of sweat covering his creamy skin. He bit his lip as he paused.

"What's wrong, Baby Boy?" Morgan ran a hand gently through Reid's hair, pushing it back away from his face.

"Nothing's wrong….I just…that was…"

"Amazing?" Morgan smiled. This was only the third time with Reid in bed but it hadn't ceased to blow him away each time. Reid knew instinctively how and where to touch him…what made Morgan's eyes roll back and his lips to emit a deep growl.

"Yes. But I actually was going to say something else." Reid fiddled with Morgan's necklace that hung down around the older agent's neck and draped itself across Reid's collarbone. He felt a blush creep upwards towards his ears.

"Pray tell."

Reid held Morgan's gaze with his hazel eyes. His heart was pounding so hard he momentarily wondered if it was on speakerphone. He drank in Morgan's chocolate brown eyes, smooth dark skin and chiseled jaw. He ran his eyes over well muscled biceps and smoothed both hands down over Morgan's back, letting them settle on the SR-3-24-7 tattoo on Morgan's hip.

He was going to muster every ounce of confidence he had. For the first time, Reid was going to dive in. Head first, breath bated and cannonball into this.

"I love you, Derek." Reid whispered simply.

It was in that moment that Morgan's realizations came to a head.

"I love you too, Spencer. You are and _always_ will be my Pretty Boy."

* * *

><p><p>Hope you guys liked this story as much as I loved writing it! I'll be starting a new story soon but I'm taking suggestions as to what you guys want to read! So if you have any ideas just PM me! Please don't forget to review also! Love xo 


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